We had the good fortune of connecting with Lindsay Smith and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Lindsay, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
I’m not usually a big risk taker. I like routine and knowing exactly what to expect. I have also found that sometimes risk is necessary, especially when you’re feeling stuck in life. In starting Untamed Terrain, I took a huge risk financially and career-wise. I quit teaching after nearly a decade. I had a small amount of photography equipment for my personal use, but needed to expand into having the equipment to film and photograph adventures. I also needed a vehicle capable enough to take me where I needed to go. This new career was born out of taking a huge risk when I felt incredibly stuck, and trusting myself enough to take that initial jump was just as important as accomplishing the end-goal.
Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
The focus of Untamed Terrain is to bring the audience along on overlanding adventures and telling the story of the destination. There are plenty of overlanding or off-roading content creators out there; but what sets me apart from them is the story telling. Its not a channel focused on equipment reviews, rock crawling, or how to’s; but to show people what’s out there and share amazing stories. This is also a heavily male dominated field, so it is also important to have a woman doing these things and representing women in the outdoors. Untamed Terrain is still pretty new, so I am most excited about sharing more adventures and really establishing the brand and channel. It hasn’t been easy to get started, and like many other’s, I gave up a lot to get to where I am. I am able to overcome challenges by learning as I go and having a great support system. I’ve learned that risk is necessary and doing what makes you happy is 100% worth the risk and hard work to get there.
If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I think some of the best places to visit in Arizona are a little outside of the Phoenix area. With a week long trip, I’d spend time up in Cornville doing some wine tastings and checking out the Palatki ruins in Sedona. I would travel some of the incredibly scenic trails around the Sedona area like Schnebly Hill, Sugarloaf Mountain, and House Mountain. Staying closer to Phoenix, I would definitely go to Saguaro Lake Cove and Apache Trail to get amazing views of Canyon and Apache lake. One of the best parts of Arizona is there’s always somewhere to explore no matter the time of year!
The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I wouldn’t have been able to do any of the work that I have been able to without the help of my husband, Jordan. He is truly the most supportive person I have ever met in my whole life. No matter how crazy or nonsensical my dreams have been, he’s always there to get me to the finish line. He has shown me that I am capable of so much more than I ever would have thought possible.
Website: untamedterrain.com
Instagram: @untamedterrainx
Youtube: Untamed Terrain